Acid attack denial over Tamim’s exit

THE mystery of Tamim Iqbal’s abrupt departure from county cricket after just one match for Essex deepened yesterday when Bangladesh’s biggest star denied his family had been victims of a hate attack.

Reports in Dhaka suggested Tamim’s wife Ayesha Siddiqa had acid thrown at her in a restaurant as she dined with her husband and one-year-old son on Sunday after his sole Twenty20 appearance for Essex against Kent.

Tamim (right) denied that on social media yesterday while Essex maintained a silence on the affair but Sportsmail understands Tamim reported an incident to his county on Monday that took place near his Stratford home. This is believed to have involved verbal abuse at a restaurant next to the Olympic Park which unsettled a family already concerned about the potential for hate attacks in London. It was enough for Tamim, 28, to ask to be released from an eight-game contract and Essex immediately granted his wish. No complaint was made to the police and it seems Essex and Tamim are playing down the incident. Whatever the truth, it is a huge blow to cricket and east London’s Bangladeshi community.